


How (and What) to Ask

by Uy8hg



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Haikyuu!!
Genre: A little bit of pining, F/F, Kyoshi Warriors Shimizu, POV Yachi Hitoka, Yachi overthinks everything, Yachi wants to be one, a lot of panic, but doesn't know how to ask
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27736270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uy8hg/pseuds/Uy8hg
Summary: Hitoka is getting tired of what her life has in store for her. When she hears about the visiting group of Kyoshi warriors, she gets excited about the possibility of asking one of them what she can do to make a difference. That is, if she ever gets a chance. A very pretty mysterious woman kind of distracted her.
Relationships: Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10
Collections: Gensou no Karasu





	1. Rooftop

**Author's Note:**

> Hooray! My first Big Bang! This was fun, if a bit stressful, to work on. It's intimidating when you know someone's making art for what you write! I hope you enjoy!

Hitoka sighed as she set down the stack of cloth. Her mother and she had already made several trips back and forth between their house, where they weaved their fabrics, and the store where they sold them. The sky outside was starting to get dark, and she took a moment to lean on the pile and rest. She caught the shop owner’s eye, who gave her a small wink and turned away. She’d gotten here before her mother, arms sore from brushing against all of the fabrics, so maybe she might be able to get a moment to breathe.

She hadn’t been pleased when her mother had told her earlier that the shop owner’s son was busy and that they’d have to spend the day running errands and delivering goods. Rumor around the town had been that the Kyoshi Warriors were arriving that night, and everyone had been buzzing around with excitement. Hitoka had wanted to go watch, but her mother had other plans.

She shifted to look out one of the shop windows. Shades of purple and pink streaked their way across the small circle of sky she could see. The market had been louder than it had been all day as she had hurried inside. No doubt the warriors were getting into town that night, and she was missing it.

Hitoka didn’t know much about the Kyoshi Warriors, but she knew that they were a group of women who helped others. Some of the rumors even said that they didn’t use any sort of bending. She didn’t know when or how she’d gotten it, but something had sparked inside of her when she heard about all the things they had done.

She wanted to see these warriors. Maybe talk to them. Ask them what she could do to help people like they did, even if she was small, and her bending was weak.

Weaving was nice, but she knew that wasn’t all the world had to offer her. But she didn’t know what any of her next steps might be, and she was too scared to take a blind leap.

And for some reason, she thought the warriors could help her.

“Hitoka!”

But no, she thought as she stood back up and turned to her mother. She had work to do, tonight and likely in the coming days. No one knew how long the warriors were staying, but it probably wouldn’t be more than a week.

And she didn’t know what she could do to change the path her life was already going down.

“Coming,” she called to her mother, falling in step as the pair left the shop and started back to their house, in the opposite direction than everyone around them.

~~~~~

By some small miracle, she finished her work early the following day. She hadn’t felt like she was going much faster than normal, but her mother had raised her eyebrows when she’d declared that she finished.

“You seem full of energy today,” her mother commented, still working on her own project in her lap. “Maybe a walk before dinner would release whatever you still have left over.”

Hitoka beamed, making sure to give her mother a quick hug before rushing out the door.

Now, she just had to find a warrior. She wasn’t sure if she had the courage to speak to one just yet. Perhaps just watching them do their duties would give her some clarity.

After quite a while of walking around the neighborhood, getting a little dejected at no sightings, she caught sight of a different shade of green rounding a corner. If there was one thing Hitoka knew about her town, it was all the fabric and clothing vendors. And that shade of green wasn’t like any they sold here.

Hitoka took a few steps before she froze. This was creepy, wasn’t it? Following someone she didn’t even know, and to do what? Watch them from afar while working up the courage to talk to them? Who did that? Stalkers, that’s who. Hitoka didn’t want to seem like a stalker. She was just curious, and that was fine, right? Perfectly fine to be curious. She should just follow them until she was sure they were one of the warriors. Then she could go home. That would be enough for one day, surely.

A little bit more energy returned to her step as she rushed to find where the green had disappeared. But when she finally rounded the corner, she didn’t see anything but the same shades she had grown up with.

Her heart sank, even though she wasn’t sure when it had risen. Even in just a few moments, she had gotten her hopes up, but it didn’t pan out. Normally, when she worked herself up, it turned out to be nothing or no big deal, so this shouldn’t have been any different. Still, her heart stung just a little as she returned to her normal slow pace down the road.

Just as quick as she’d lost hope, Hitoka felt her pulse spike as she turned another corner and saw three women in full, armored green regalia turn behind a building, into a small park area.

Hitoka ducked behind the nearest building, probably someone’s house. She wasn’t sure why, since the park was out of sight to begin with, but she’d acted without thinking.

No, she wanted to see them, right? Would it really be that bad if they saw her? They were probably used to people being amazed and interested when they visited towns across the nation. Sure, a lot of those were probably kids, but it wasn’t bad to be curious.

Maybe if she could see them, but stay out of sight until she worked up her courage, which she would, sooner or later, absolutely, no doubt about it . . . yes, that could work.

Hitoka darted across the road to be on the same side as the park, then stealthily worked her way from house to house as if playing some child’s game. Just in case, she told herself, doing her best not to think about what the people walking down the road might be thinking about her.

When she finally got to the last building, a currently empty storefront, she panicked. Now what. Her eyes landed on a stack of crates that looked only a little bit worn from the weather.

No one ever watched the roof, right? And she couldn’t remember any laws forbidding people to be on rooves, other than what parents told their kids to keep them from getting hurt.

Hitoka wasn’t the most athletic person, but it wasn’t as hard as she thought it might be to perch herself on the roof, stomach to the tile on the slanted side opposite the warriors. It was easy to peer over the edge and casually watch the three warriors, who were currently just standing and talking.

And then Hitoka lost track of time. For a roof, her spot was actually pretty comfortable, the tiles under her dulled from time. The three warriors had formed a little triangle, working through some drills, perhaps away from the watchful eyes of their instructors. Even though they were going over the same move repeatedly, there was still something fascinating in the way they snapped into the warrior mode. One second, they were teasing and messing around with each other, the next they were sharp and precise, flicking their fans with deadly precision. And despite the moves’ apparent simplicity, Hitoka was in awe at how graceful yet sharp each repetition was. It was beautiful to watch but, in a way, it hurt Hitoka’s heart.

As she had watched, her mind kept wandering to what she might ask one of them if she got the chance. Her brain ran through scenario after scenario, trying to match the answers her mind was providing to the figures she saw below her. But nothing sounded right. Nothing Hitoka’s mind came up with sounded like the right thing to ask, or the sort of answer these ladies might give her.

She should have known there wouldn’t be a ‘right’ question. She was putting a lot of pressure on some imaginary scenario and a single question to a stranger. None of her scenarios provided her with anything that sounded even remotely realistic, or anything that sounded like it might mean something for her future.

Hitoka sighed. Maybe the warriors weren’t her way out of the cycle her life had become. Maybe there was no escaping the future her mother had made for her. Not that there was anything wrong with weaving and textiles. But some small part of her had seen a chance at something, if she dared think it, more important.

Hitoka gave yet another sigh as she closed her eyes, letting herself roll over and slide gently down the roof. She would only make herself sad if she kept watching. It was nice to have a dream, even if she wasn’t sure if she could call it that, but also smart to know the limits of reality.

“This is an interesting spot for a nap.”

Hitoka jerked up at the new voice, far too close to be any of the warriors on the other side of the building. In her panicked state, she felt the roof give under her fingers as she struggled to not slip off. Had she just bended a roof without realizing it, or were the tiles just that old? Was she going to fall through if she moved wrong? She stared down in horror at her fingers, indented in little grooves that were obviously the work of her own earthbending, before squinting up into the evening light to see who’d startled her.

It was a woman, with soft-looking black hair just barely reaching past her shoulders and a pair of glasses. She had on a simple dress, and had a mole just to the side of her mouth. She was standing upright on the slanted roof, yet she didn’t look even the littlest bit unbalanced.

Hitoka had never seen this woman before, but her first though was ‘WOW she’s pretty.’

“Though I do see the appeal,” the woman continued. “It does provide quite a nice view of the city.” The woman looked down at her with a gentle smirk. At the sight of the smile, Hitoka’s already frazzled brain went even more haywire.

Right, Hitoka thought, the city. She opened her mouth then closed it again, not quite sure what to say yet. She was sure that whatever her brain landed on would only come out as unintelligible sounds. How was this woman so attractive?

The woman extended a hand, offering Hitoka assistance getting up. Tentatively, Hitoka started to reach up before yanking her hand close to her chest. In what might have been the fastest impulsive choice of her life, her brain and mouth finally connected to allow her to say, “Down.”

Even that came out extended, somewhere between a loud whisper and a whine. But it was a start, right? One that wouldn’t alert the warriors, if they hadn’t already noticed.

The mystery woman chuckled softly before crouching and lowering herself to the roof. “Is this alright?”

Hitoka still didn’t trust words so she just nodded.

The woman hummed, throwing a look behind Hitoka in the direction of the warriors. “Perhaps the view wasn’t of the city? Or are we just not allowed on rooves?”

Hitoka finally managed to pry her fingers free of the little grooves in the roof she had made, letting her turn to peek at the warriors. They were still working on their training, not seeming to notice the discussion and panic happening above them. As she let out a breath, she turned her attention up, just a little, and saw that yes, this was a good view of the city.

“Ah. So we are hiding,” the woman whispered with a little too much amusement in her voice.

“I’m not hiding,” Hitoka whispered back quickly, before rushing to cover her mouth. That probably came out too fast, she probably sounded mad. Or did she sound angry? Was there a difference between angry and mad? She wasn’t either! She just didn’t want to be caught admiring the warriors, even though she had been. She needed to come up with something to say, anything to explain herself–

“This is an interesting spot to watch them from, though,” the woman hummed, lowering herself further until she was lying on her stomach and able to look over, just like Hitoka had been earlier. “A different perspective. Both of the people and the city.”

“I didn’t intend it to be,” Hitoka admitted, trying to carefully lower herself back down. How had she gotten into her position before? The tiles of the roof suddenly felt sharp as she lowered herself down. Her foot brushed the woman’s dress and she fought not to scramble away. She just needed to keep her distance from this very beautiful woman.

“What did you intend?” the woman asked, resting her head in her arms as she glanced at the still-awkwardly-crouched Hitoka. There was no judgement in her eyes, just a calm, genuine sense of curiosity. “I imagine you weren’t actually up here for the city view.”

“Not quite,” Hitoka murmured. “I was just curious.” That should be an innocent enough answer, right? And it was honest! She was proud that she managed to voice an actual, thoughtful response.

“About the warriors?” the woman pressed, though it didn’t give Hitoka any feelings of being pressured to respond. Instead, Hitoka wanted to answer, and not just to clear up any possible misunderstandings, which was a very frequent feeling for her.

“No one quite like them have ever visited us before,” Hitoka explained, even though this mysterious woman probably knew that. “I was curious about what they do, and how they’re able to do it.”

“How? Like their movements?”

Hitoka shook her head, which felt weird in their position on the roof. “How they can be so strong. And brave. How they make a difference in the world.”

The woman hummed, turning her head back to look at the warriors. As her gaze moved away, Hitoka felt all the panic from before return. It was as if, just by looking at her, the woman had taken away all of Hitoka’s fear and worries. Even her nervousness about talking to someone as pretty as the woman was gone.

Hitoka wanted more of that feeling, of being liberated from her own overthinking mind. She wanted this woman to look at her and steal every thought from her head.

“They’re leaving.”

“What?!” Hitoka squeaked, scrambling to look back at the warriors. It struck her, as she watched the figures of the warriors leave the park and vanish into the longer shadows the evening had created, that while the woman had been beside her, Hitoka hadn’t been watching the warriors at all. Even though they’d talked about the warriors, their actual presence had left her thoughts.

“It is getting late,” the woman continued, rolling over and pushing herself into a seated position. Hitoka watched as she got up, much more confident on the slanted surface than Hitoka knew she would be. With another small smile that was nearly a smirk, the woman extended a hand back toward Hitoka. “Perhaps we can continue this conversation tomorrow? Over some tea?”

Hitoka took the hand, knowing she wouldn’t be able to form words quick enough.

“I’m Kiyoko Shimizu,” the woman, Shimizu, introduced. “And you?”

“Y-Yachi. Hitoka Yachi.”

“Yachi.”

And in that moment, Hitoka nearly turned into a puddle of goo on a rooftop.


	2. Tea shop

Hitoka’s enthusiasm spilled into her work just as it yesterday. The day after the rooftop meeting, she must have set some sort of record for how fast she’d completed her daily duties. Her mother, startled, had had no choice but to let her leave and escape to a small tea shop.

Shimizu was waiting for her with that smile that seemed to simultaneously shut Hitoka’s mind down and fill her being with an unbelievable warmth.

And like the previous night, time seemed to slip away. But there weren’t any warriors to watch or dictate when they left, just conversation and the shifting light through the windows.

Hitoka couldn’t even summarize what they had talked about. She was sure she hadn’t provided much, at least not much that was coherent, though it had seemed like she’d done a lot of talking. Shimizu was more of the quiet, contemplative sort. When she had a thought, she would say it, but she didn’t seem to be one who talked when there wasn’t anything to say. It left a lot of room for Hitoka to flounder over her own answers and the thread of the conversation, but like the night before, there were no feelings of pressure or judgement.

With Shimizu, Hitoka felt like there were no wrong questions or answers. Her mind usually tended to overthink everything she said, whether it was to a stranger or someone close, but with Shimizu, that instinct seemed to fade. Sure, it was quite frequently replaced with the feeling of not being worthy to speak to someone like Shimizu, but she kept reminding herself that she hadn’t arranged this meeting.

It was Shimizu who had wanted to talk with Hitoka. And that made Hitoka’s heart soar.

Tea was over quickly, then the cups sat abandoned for quite a while, but finally, Hitoka’s stomach started to interrupt and they said their goodbyes. But not without a promise to meet again the next day, at the same place.

Which they did, not just the next day, but the one after that. They would start with tea, then leave for a stroll. Hitoka knew the town well, but everything felt more vibrant with Shimizu by her side. The promise of meeting Shimizu again the next day was enough to keep Hitoka’s spirits high through each evening and well into the next day. Her daily tasks didn’t stand a chance.

Each day, the high feeling would fade just as she strolled up to the tea shop, turning back into anticipation and excitement. However, on the fourth day of tea, Hitoka peeked her head into the shop only for her joy to vanish.

There was no sign of Shimizu. Hitoka waited nervously in the door until eager customers behind her asked her to move. Not sure what else to do, Hitoka approached the counter in the back.

“Excuse me?” she asked, voice coming out quieter and higher pitched than she wanted. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Excuse me?”

The older woman behind the counter, who Hitoka thankfully recognized as the same person as was there the day before, looked up with a warm smile. It had all the same polite connotations as Shimizu’s, but it didn’t make Hitoka feel nice inside like her tea partner’s had. “Yes, dear?”

“Uhm, do you remember the person I was with yesterday? Has she been in today?”

The woman hummed, but her smile didn’t change. She grabbed something from under the counter and held out a folded slip of paper. “She left this for you earlier. Seemed like she was in a rush.”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you!” Hitoka squeaked, grabbing the paper carefully before rushing out of the store, in search of somewhere she could sit and investigate.

She was holding something that Shimizu had written! Probably. She wasn’t sure yet, but whatever it was, she would treasure it forever. Her handwriting was probably really pretty. Maybe she dotted her i’s with little bubbles, or maybe hearts. Stars? Hitoka would probably implode if she used stars.

After a few turns, Hitoka found another little park with a bench she could sit on. She took a deep breath as she sat down, before closing her eyes. In just the few minutes she’d walked, she’d already built up this note to be something wonderful, but she had no idea what the content actually was.

With her eyes still closed, she opened the note, then, after another moment, her eyes.

_Sorry, Yachi, but I won’t be able to make our date today. Something came up. But, meet me after dark tonight at the rooftop where we met. I can’t wait, Kiyoko_

Hitoka had to read the note three times before its meaning actually set in. Shimizu wanted to meet her! Tonight! And had she really called it a date? They’d gone on a date! Several of them, at this point! Or maybe just today’s was a date. Would tonight count as a date? She really hoped so, but just thinking that it was a date made her nervous.

She traced her fingers over first her own name, then over Shimizu’s. The i’s weren’t dotted with anything special, but it still looked beautiful.

It hadn’t really settled in for Hitoka until she got home that she would have to leave that evening, after dinner. Hitoka never went out after dinner. She didn’t know if she had a curfew, but it just wasn’t something she had ever done. How late did Shimizu want to meet? It was summer, so the sunset was rather late.

Whenever it was, Hitoka would be there.

~~~~~

After dinner, Hitoka cautiously retreated to her room and climbed into her bed, not bothering to change out of her day clothes. She waited until she heard her mother move into her own room and close the door before she crawled out of the covers slowly. Running on the faint memories of rumors from the other kids, she stuffed some of her clothes and spare fabric under the covers. Finally, she peeked the door open and, when the coast seemed clear, hurried quietly out of the house and into the streets.

She could see Shimizu the moment she made the final turn. The other woman was leaning against the abandoned shop, something in her arms and a dark cloak over her shoulders.

Shimizu turned to her as she approached, and even in the dim light, Hitoka could see the smile that could render her mind useless.

“Hitoka,” Shimizu said, voice hushed but not a whisper. The sound of her name in the quiet evening warmed Hitoka’s heart. Any worry her brain had come up with on her way over, about sneaking out or whatever punishment her mother might give her if she got caught, was wiped away in a moment. “Thank you for coming.”

It took a lot of Hitoka’s willpower to resist telling Shimizu that she would do anything if the other asked. A little bit of her normal, worried self wondered just how much of that statement was true.

“Yeah,” Hitoka settled on. “Why did you ask me to come out tonight, instead of waiting until tomorrow?”

Shimizu hummed, turning her gaze down and away from Hitoka. Hitoka wasn’t sure if it was the shadows, but she thought Shimizu was frowning.

“I’m busy tomorrow. It had to be tonight.”

“Oh.” And then Hitoka remembered that the Kyoshi Warriors were leaving the next day. She’d overheard people discussing it in the streets on her way home earlier, but she’d been distracted thinking about seeing Shimizu. She hadn’t had any time to think about how she hadn’t gotten to ask any of them her questions. Not that she’d come up with any that might actually get her any good answers.

Shimizu would probably be watching them leave. Maybe Hitoka could sneak away again and watch them leave.

Hitoka was shaken from her thoughts as she felt a hand take hers. She stared in wonder as Shimizu threaded her fingers through Hitoka’s and pulled her toward the park. “But let’s not think about tomorrow. Let’s enjoy tonight.”

“Right!” Hitoka cheered, voice echoing back in her mind a little too loud for the time of night.

Shimizu led her into the middle of the park before dropping Hitoka’s hand. At the sudden absence of warmth, Hitoka pulled her hands to her chest, trying to hold on to the feeling of having her hand held. Shimizu didn’t seem to notice, setting down what now looked like a pile of cloth and undoing her cloak. With a quick flick, she spread the cloak on the ground before grabbing the cloth and doing the same motion with what was actually a second cloak.

“How often do you look at the stars?” Shimizu asked, sitting down and offering a hand up to Hitoka.

“I- I don’t remember the last time I did,” Hitoka mumbled, taking Shimizu’s offered hand and sitting down.

“Ah, not enough then.”

Shimizu switched hands, carefully handing Hitoka’s hand off into her other one, before lying down on the cloak. Hitoka scrambled awkwardly to lie down, doing her best not to let go of Shimizu’s hand. She never wanted to let go.

After a moment to get settled, the two stared up at the sky, hands clasped gently between them.

“I love looking at the stars,” Shimizu started softly. “They may change, but not fast enough that you can’t tell. You get to watch them change, track them even. And then, later, you can watch those same stars reappear. They’re never really gone, or even changed. Just our perception of them. And then, depending on where you are, you can see different stars, but also some that you know. It’s beautiful.”

Hitoka stared up into the sky, scanning the assortment of small dots of light. She didn’t know much about them, but maybe Shimizu did. If she let her, Hitoka could listen to Shimizu talk about stars all night.

“Have you gotten any answers?”

Hitoka blinked, turning to look at Shimizu, still staring up. “Answers to what?”

“You were curious about the warriors. You mentioned it on the night we met, then a couple times as we talked. You wanted to know about how they were strong, I think you said. About how they made a difference. Have you gotten your answers?”

Hitoka sighed, turning back to the sky. “No. I got a little distracted. To be honest, I sort of forgot they were here.”

Shimizu hummed. “Did you at least figure out what questions you wanted to ask?”

It was Hitoka’s turn to hum. “No, not really. There’s just so many, and I don’t feel like any of them are right. I guess it also depends on how many questions I can ask. If I only get one, is it a matter of priority, or should I try to ask as many questions in one as possible? Should I just abandon my own questions and ask something about them?

“Would that be rude? To ask a warrior about their life? Is that too personal? Or is it rude to ask a question about my life? I don’t want to force my own worries onto them. They probably get questions all the time.

“But if that’s true, shouldn’t they expect every sort of question? They could always say no. They probably say no all the time. It’s perfectly alright to refuse a question. I’ve tried, but I’ve never figured out a polite way to say no. I always worry that it will come out rude.

“I guess maybe I could ask them that. How do I stop worrying about being rude? Or just worrying at all? I do a lot of worrying. I know a lot of it probably isn’t necessary, but I have a hard time actually using that information.

“But that is quite a weird question to ask a warrior isn’t it? How to not worry. Or how to not be rude, more so. They probably know just when to be polite, and just when it isn’t necessary. I imagine it’s hard to be polite and protect people from threats.

“That’s a better question. How can I protect people? Well, maybe that exactly. How can I do something meaningful with my life? Not that I don’t do something valuable now. I just . . . sometimes, or maybe a lot of times, I want to do something more. But I don’t know how, or what.

“So, I guess that’s what I’d ask,” Hitoka finished. “What can I do to help others?” she chuckled. “That’s probably more than you asked for, but I got there. Thanks for letting me ramble through my thoughts.”

She turned and started at Shimizu’s face, suddenly facing her and much closer. Hitoka shifted back, her hands instinctively coming up. Then she realized Shimizu’s grip had been loose, and her eyes were closed.

Somehow, during and in spite of Hitoka’s rambling, Shimizu had fallen asleep.

“Oh,” Hitoka exhaled. Now what? Should she wake her up? Or just let her sleep? She took a moment to study Shimizu’s face, closer than it had ever been. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what individual aspects made her so beautiful to Hitoka, but she appreciated all of them in turn.

Hitoka didn’t know how long she spent staring at Shimizu before the other opened her eyes, slowly, then blinked up at Hitoka.

“Hi,” Hitoka whispered, not sure what else to say, even though her mind tried to flood her with apologies.

Shimizu glanced up at the sky, then back at Hitoka. “It’s late.”

“Mhm.”

“I should go.”

Hitoka’s heart dropped. “Oh.” Despite the close proximity of Shimizu, she suddenly felt very cold lying out in the evening air.

“I’m sorry, Yachi,” Shimizu said quickly, getting up and gathering her cloak. Hitoka scrambled up to give her access to her second cloak, even if all she wanted was to go back in time one minute. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Before Hitoka could even remind her that Shimizu herself had said she would be busy, the woman was hurrying away from the park.

Confused and heart empty, Hitoka slowly trailed back to her house.

She’d almost forgotten about how late it was until she closed the front door and heard, louder than anything else all night, “Hitoka.”

“Mother!” Hitoka spluttered, turning to find her mother waiting at the table, a candle lit in front of her.

“Where were you?”

“I–”

“I came to ask you about something tomorrow, and you where nowhere to be found.”

“Mother–”

“Well?”

“I was meeting someone,” she finally got out. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I was worried you wouldn’t let me go and this was important to me.”

“I would have let you if you had told me, Hitoka,” her mother scolded, rising to meet Hitoka. “But you let me worry.”

“I thought I’d make it back before you noticed,” Hitoka mumbled, looking down at her feet. She couldn’t meet her mother’s gaze, terrified of the concern she knew would be there. She’d caused that. She made her mother worry.

“I need your help with something tomorrow. All day. We can discuss this further then.” Her mother pulled Hitoka in to a hug, then turned and started back toward her room, grabbing the candle on her way.

She was halfway there before Hitoka understood everything she’d said. “But I have to be somewhere tomorrow! The warriors are leaving, and a friend said she needed to see me.”

Her mother stopped and turned, eyes abnormally cold. “Is this the same friend that you just met?”

“. . . yes.”

“Then you can see her the day after. Good night, Hitoka.”

With one breath, the light was gone and a door closed, leaving Hitoka confused, hurt, and far too cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up soon!


End file.
